Dishwashing machine



March 31, 1953 A. w. HAAS 2,633,399

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed June 24, 1947 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1 N V EN TOR. yrifiar Wm March 31, 1953 A, w. HAAs 2,633,399

DISHWASHING MACHINE Filed June 24', 1947 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 31, 1953 A. w. HAAS DISHWASHING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed June 24, 1947 March 31, 1953 w, s 2,633,399

DiSHWASI-IING MACHINE FiI ed June' 24,. 1947' 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR;

March 31, 1953 A. w. HAAS DISHWASHING MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed June 24, 1947 INVENTOR- MWWZQS Patented Mar. 31, 1953 An ina w. nan; iiochester; it,

esn e assi nments, to :rdleae Scale comp ny;

'rtleso", ohio, a eor dr'anon or New Jersey Application June 24,- 1947; Serial No. 7515;711- ciaiifis; (o1. iii'z zssi) My invention relates to' a dis'hwashing machine, particularly that type of di-shwashing. mae chine for use in hotels,- clubs, restaurants and other eating establishments adapted to serve large numbers of people.

An object of my inventionisto provide a: dishwashing machine which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and more con venient for the operator thereof to use than present commercial dishwas-hing machines.

Another objectof my invention is-to provide a dishwashingmachine inwhich a single one-piece" door or closure is provided for the washing and rinsing space of the dishwashing machine which has three sides or panels adapted to close three open sides of the 'machine'when'in a closed position, two opposite sides of the machine being adapted when the closure isopen for the' ingress and egress of dish=rack s while the front panel" of the closure carries a handle: enabling the three panelclosu-re tobe opened from the front, thereby eliminating the necessity of the operator reach-' ing over dish tables to reach the closure handle as in prior art dishwashing machines;

A further object-of my inventionis to provide adishwashing machine; particularly adapted-for use in hotels, clubs; restaurants or other large eating establishments adapted for use along a wall, the dish. racks being; moved in at one side of the-machine and out attheother oi is'?adapted for use in a corner of a room in which casethe dish racks are moved into the machine" at one side thereof and when washed and rinsed; are moved forwardly out-of the front-of thekmachin to a dish tray or table; v

Still another object of my inventionis to" pro vide a washing-machine in which the partsthere of are so constructed and arrangedthat dish tables may beplaced: in cooperative relation to the machine either on' two side's thereof or on one side and the frontthereot My invention-furthercontemplates*ancommer cial dishwashing machine in which-the= washing and rinsing space is=open on three sides enabling=- ingress ahd'egres'sof the dish racksand-conven ient access to various parts-ofthemachine'ior the purpose of cleaning? the." same; the machi-ne; being provided" with a" clcisiiiae' which I has" three integral panels a'da'p'tedto closethe; open sides of the machine-thethree panels bein counter balanced in such a manner so" that the closure" may be moved: t'o an opened or closeii position by a, single handle On'th fiblit of the madfillli Other obj ects-and advantages of m-y invention willbeparticular-ly pdintedout 'the claims and-f since"-the'3f are eenvriticnai m dishwashirig i -1 b c ear rom; t e iol bwieedaacr ti n wh n taken incgnnection with'the accompanying draweeii iw h; i I

i a. i f. l.@fii9I v hi fi of H1 n en ion owman: a ran d a i st a al n l str in ts e anto' ha sh tr s 0111 191? which are usually employed with commercial HW 5hi machi e a I ma h 9 nteaii nw th the p sma r closing the dishwashing and rinsing space in an an'p i ml. a i a z Fi -315a side a sva ii PH Washing chine a i w p ri ar h wn i IFi L. i -f i a aa i al ew ke s st ia ly onthe line l q 9f Fig. 2' inthe direction indite -bi NF $2.515 a 9i qna aw,takans b tan ll an the line 5-5 of Fig. 2 in the direction indicated bythe arrows; i I N i 1 s a iq al w. take subs i l y on the linefiefiof; Fig. 4 in the direction indiiad a ha im say 4 to o, F g. Tisaperspective view of the three panel sur a i o myin enii i .4 e- M a. a ana ewa a e subst ly on the line B B of; Fig. 5 in thedirection indiai e a rows Fi .9 isa e e i w df li i'r ris i.ca e nor of the machine taken approximately in'them -h r z n p anea st 5;;

through the counterweight which is-employedto counterbalance thethree; panel closure:

taken substantially onthe same-horizontal plane a He i -2 a ers tiv ie sh win n th washing machine of; myinvention comprises a" main frame, generally-indicatedby the numeral l 6, --whichincl1 1des;legsl1. The main frame car ries awash andrinse Water tank 18;; a pump' and driving motor (not'shown) a" startingswitch i), a water tank drain handle 2| andother'appur tenanc'es' not" necessary to=' be dfescriloe'd herein,

Fi -is an enlars giv iew; h w ngthje: eon; left h nd orner oi; th m h e; the vi be n front corners of-the machine; and indicating how chines of the type to which this invention relates.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 1, the machine has arranged adjacent thereto dish trays or tables, generally indicated by the numeral 26, the dishes usually being stacked in dish racks on the right hand table 26. The racks carrying the dirty dishes are pushed into the machine after which the washing and rinsing space of the dishwasher is closed during washing and rinsing operations. After the dishes have been washed and rinsed they are moved out on to the left hand dish table where they are usually allowed to air dry.

While I have shown the machine as being arranged for side ingress and side egress of the dish racks from either side of the machine, as will be presently explained, the machine of my invention is readily convertible for corner operation, that is, for side ingress and front egress of the dish racks.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the washing machine includes a rear splash pan 2'! and a front splash pan 28. The splash pans extend from one side to the other of the machine; are suitably supported from the frame of the machine, as indicated in the drawings; and carry a series of scrap trays 29, each of which is provided with a handle 3!.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, preferably, in the size of machine shown, four scrap trays are provided which are supported by flanges 32 (Fig. 4) formed on the front and rear splash pans 21 and 28. The scrap trays may be made of heavy screening or may be sheets of metal suitably perforated to permit the water used in washing and rinsing the dishes to drop back into the tank l8 while all but the finest food particles and other refuse material, flushed off the dishes during the washing and rinsing operations, are retained on the scrap trays.

As most clearly indicated in Fig. 4, water is pumped from the tank l8 through a pipe 36 which is located at the front right hand corner of the machine. The pipe 36 connects through an elbow 35 to a distributing pipe 31 which extends along the rig-ht side of the machine. The distributing pipe 31 connects with a series of spray pipes 38, in the particular machine shown four spray pipes being employed. Although not shown, it will be understood that a set of upper spray pipes may also be provided.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, each of the spray pipes 38 has a series of openings, nozzles or spray slots 39 through which water at relatively high velocity is discharged upward into the washing and rinsing space in which the usually basket type racks carrying the dishes to be washed are located during the washing and rinsing operation, as will presently appear.

As shown in the drawings, each of the spray pipes 38 is rigidly connected to the distributing pipe 31. The distributor pipe, however, is free to be rotated with respect to the elbow 35 (Fig. 4). This enables all of the spray pipes to be lifted as a unit and rotated, with the distributor pipe, about the axis of the elbow 35 to the dotted line vertical position shown in Fig. 6. In this position of the spray pipes, access to the scrap trays is made possible to enable the scrap trays to be removed from the machine for cleaning. When the spray pipes are in their operative position for washingthe dishes, they are supported by a bracket 4| which is carried by the rear track of the machine.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, the rear wall 42 of the tank I 8 is extended upward to form a rear wall 43 for the washing and rinsing space 44. The side walls 46 (Fig. 6) and the front wall 41 (Fig. 4) of the tank are extended upward only slightly above the level of the spray pipes. The sheet metal forming the front and side walls 46 and 47 are turned outward, as shown in the drawings, to provide an apron 48 which extends completely around the two sides and the front of the machine.

Mounted on the inner sides of the side walls 46 are brackets 49 which are bent so as to provide slots for the reception of tongues 51. These tongues extend downward from dish rack tracks 52. The tracks are mounted at the front and rear of the machine and extend from one side of the machine to the other (Fig. 6) just slightly above the level of the apron 48.

It will now be clear that, as viewed in Fig. l, the racks carrying the dishes are placed on the table 26, then pushed over the table on to the tracks 52. When in this position the closure, as will presently appear, is moved to a closed position and the washing and rinsing operations are carried on. Thereupon the closure is opened after which the racks are pushed usually sidewardly to the left of the machine.

The rear wall 43 is extended upward and turned forwardly to form a top wall 56, the metal being turned downward to form a partial front wall 51. Similar partial side walls 58 (Figs. 4, 6 and 9) may be welded to forwardly turned portions of the rear wall to complete a dome extending above the washing and rinsing space 44. It will thus be appreciated that the washing and rinsing space 44 is open on three sides to enable ingress and egress of the dish racks and access to the spray pipes, splash pans and scrap trays.

As shown most clearly in Figs. 12 and 13, riveted to the side wall 46 is a strip of metal 61 forming a spacer as will presently appear, an angular strip of metal forming an outer guide 62, a spacer 63 and an angular piece of metal forming an inner guide 64. Similarly located between the front 41 and the outer guide 62 and and the inner guide 64 are spacers 65 and 66.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 5 the guides 52 and 64 form corner posts at each of the front corners of the machine, the inner guides being welded, as shown at 61 (Fig. 5) to the downwardly turned front panel 51 and side panels 58 of the top dome.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 5 guides are formed at the rear corners of the machine, a detail of one of these guides being shown in Fig. 9. As previously mentioned, the side edges of the back wall 43 may be turned inward, as shown at H. Each of the guides 12 may be U-shapecl in cross-section and each has a part [3 turned over to lie on the inside of the forwardly turned part H of the back and welded thereto, as shown at 14. The rear guides 12 extend upwardly along the rear wall of the machine and are carried thereby rigidly in position. The side panels 58 of the top dome may be welded, as shown in Fig. 9, to the guides 12.

The closure for closing the three open sides of the dishwashing and rinsing space during operation of the machine is shown in perspective in Fig. 7. The closure comprises a single sheet of metal which is bent to form a front panel 16 and side panels 11. The front panel adjacent its lower edge is provided with a handle 18. If desired, door handles may be provided on any or all of the panels and in the case of a corner machine may be placed at the corners of the, closure.

The closure is mounted so as to be slidable in the guides formed by the guide elements 62 and 64 at the front of the machine and the guides 12 at the rear of the machin which receive the rearedges 79 of the side panels T1 of the closure. At their forward corners, the side panels H are rounded and merge int the front panel 16 so as to provide a smooth curve to facilitate the movement of the closure in the corner guides 62 and 64. While I have shown a three panel closure it would be possible to provide a square or rectangular closure if desired. but little or no advantage is derived thereby because the back panel of the machine usually is placed against a wall. In such case, however, four corner guides would be employed.

In Fig. 11 I have illustrated the closure in horizontal cross-section and shown it in. relation tothe adjacent corner guide. In this view the spacing of the guides 62 and 64 from the Walls of the closure has been somewhat exaggerated for purposes of illustration. As shown, the guides 62 and 54 are free of the walls of the closure. Similarly, as illustrated in Fig. 9-, the guide i2 is relatively free with respect to the walls ofthe side panel. The rear guides are in reality notbearings or guides but instead are loose fitting baiiles to prevent leakage of water. The. arrangement thus described enables the closure substantially to float in its guides when the closure is properly counterbalanced, as will presently be described.

In the conventional dishwashing machines with which I am familiar, it has been customary to provide doors on opposite sides of the machine when the machine is intended for use, as illus trated in Fig. 1. These doors have been sometimes separatelyoperated and in other machines have been arranged with a common counter weight so that both doors move together. The front of such machines has been solid and connected tothe main frame usually in a manner similarto the rear panel or wall 43, illustrated herein.

Withthemachines of the prior art, as described above, it has been necessary for the. operator, usually a woman, in order to open the doors, to reach over the. dishv tables. 26 which are usuallyv relatively high. and lift. the door by means of its handle while standingin a; relatively awkward off-balance position.

The door guides tend to corrode and bind due to. the. excessive presence of, moisture, lime the... wash water and food particles unavoidably:

lodged; inthe guides.v Unless theguidesand' doors are. frequently. cleaned. and oiled h y ann tbc;

shifted. from closed to open position very freely. har -isul r n. he ca e f a. e a e y. ho t. Woman, the necessity of reaching over the. dish tehles; o reac he d hand e. m ke it diflicult or: er. o app yer; il s re th to op n h d qn Th a amb n th osio he. u des. ma es e a k; s fiici nfly dimcuit hat: many omm rcia dis a ns ma h n doors ar no plo d. ns ad ev hin and i hs er. space s. losedt he yairo hanems: v s. she This, f o se. s undosirable as it is impossible to prevent, water, usually containing strong detergents, from escapingfromthe machine andfalling-on the adjacent dish tables. and the floor. Moreover; access to thespraypipes for cleaning: and the. scrap trays. fonremoval: for cleaning. is diflic-ult because .itis: 7

necessary to reach in from the side of the ma= chine over the. dish tablesto, reach the. spray p pes and the scrap. trays. The d filculties on countered in cleaning such machines has been ch tha he. op rat rs. thereof; have. not; cleaned their machines as. trcquentlyas. proper andclean peration. requires. The result is that, the Wash water becomes excessively dirty requiring frequent replac ment, loss of detergent and ex- Qessive use. of water.

In the machine of my invention the. front; panel of the. closure is, readily accessible and upon opening the. closure the spray pipes, the distribution pipe and the tracks for the dish racks are read.- i'ly accessible. from either the front or the sides of the machine. for easycleaning. Upon rotating the spraypipes 38 to the dotted line position shownin Fig. 6, the splash pans 21 and 28 are readily accessible and the scrap trays; 29 may be easily removed for cleaning. Moreover, because three sides of the machine are open, the view, of the operator is. not: cut off by a. solid front panel. Thus the. entire interior of the machine is. accessible to view so that the operator can. read.- ily' see where scrap. and food particle are. lodged to enable adequate cleaning.

A further advantage of the arrangement of my invention lies in the fact thatv in the, conventional machine havingtwo side doors, four-vertical edges exist at the sides of the doors. through which leakage of water may take place. With the three, panel closure of my invention, leakage of" water may occur only along thevertical edges: of" the closure at the rear thereof.

In Fig. 1 I have shown my'machine arranged for mounting against a side wall with the dish tables arranged on each side of the machine. Of particular importance is the fact that thewashing machine of my invention may be readilyconverted for corner operation.

As shown in Fig, 1, each ofthe dish tables 26 has a downwardly extending lip atits forward edge which extends intoa groove 01' slot 81 formedat each side of the machine. Adjacent the corner' guides, this slot is continuedby reason of the guide 62 so asto provide a slot or groove 88 at thefront of the machine. As will be apparent the slot- 81-438 is continuous from the rear of the machine around both sides and the front thereof and is co-extensive- With the apron 18 which, as

will be noted from Fig. 5, extends around three sides of the machine. Thus; the'dish table 26 at the left-of Fig; 1 maybeshifted around to thefront of-the machine with its lip 86 lodged in the slot 88* at the forward side of the machine. By this arrangement" the machine may be readily onv rt d o or r. us h nly hance n.

machine. itself being. the. removal of'thetracks. 52 for the dish racks and the substitution therefor of apair-oftracks. (not shown), in which one section of. each track extends at'right angles to another section of each track. This enables side ingress;

ahdi ron sres f t e. dish ra ks. or vice.- versa.

Thethree. panelclosure of my-inyentionmay be.- hydraulicallyc operated or otherwise automatically: operated asv to. be. raisedi and lowered? uncleir push button control. However, in the drawings I have shown the three panel closure as counter-- balanced for easy manual operation.

As shown most clearly in Fig, 6, carried at the back of the machine is a counterweight rod support strip 9| which by means of nuts 92, anchors a pair of counterweight guide rods 93. The counterweight guide rods 93 extend upward along the back of the machine and serve to guide a counterweight 94 which is provided with bores 99 for the reception of the guide rods.

The counterweight, as shown most clearly in Figs. 5, 6 and 10 is provided with a recess 97 in which is mounted a pulley 98 carried by a shaft 99. To enable the recess 97 to drain itself of any waterwhich may collect therein and to enable cleaning out of refuse material from said recess, the counterweight is provided with an opening I9I which communicates with the recess 91.

Welded to the side walls of the top dome, as at I92, and to the rear wall 43, as at I93, is a V- shaped brace I94 which not only serves to stiffen the top dome but also serves to support the counterweight mechanism.

As shown most clearly in Figs. and 8, a pair of brackets I98 extend over the brace I94 and are supported thereby. These brackets have horizontally extending parts I91 and a U-shaped part I98. The horizontally extending part I9! serves as an anchor for the upper end of the guide rod 93, a pair of nuts I99 being employed to maintain the guide rod in position. The U-shaped part I98 of the bracket I98 is apertured to receive a shaft III which supports a pulley H2 rotatable with respect to the shaft, suitable bushings II3 being provided for the pulley and shaft.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 5. brackets H9 are provided which are toward the forward part of the top dome and extend over the braces I94 in a manner similar to the brackets I96. The brackets IIG serve to suport pulley In, the brackets IIG and pulleys II'I being similarly constructed in all respects to the brackets I99 and pulleys I I2, except that the brackets I I6 lack the horizontally extending portions I91 of the brackets I 96.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 7, each side panel of the closure has screwed thereto on its inner side an angle piece I2I, these angle pieces also being clearly shown in Figs. 4 and. 5. The upper flange of each angle piece is apertured to receive a cable I22 which extends through the aperture and is prevented from slipping therethrough in any suitable manner as by an apertured bolt I23 provided with a nut and a lock washer.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, the cable I22 is continuous. At one end it is anchored to one of the angle brackets I2I on the closure, extends upward over one of the pulleys I I1, then over one of the pulleys I I2 and beneath the pulley 98 which is supported in the counterweight 94. From thence the cable extends up over the other pulley I I2 and over the other pulley I I! and is anchored to the angle bracket I2I on the opposite side of the closure. Since the cable is continuous, any changes or variations in thelength of the cable are automatically compensated for to maintain equal lengths of cable on opposite sides of the vertical center of the counterweight.

As will appear most clearly from Fig. 5, the angle brackets -I2I are located forwardly of the vertical center of the closure. This position of the angle brackets is provided to oiTset the fact that the closure lacks a rear panel, the brackets being located at the fore and aft center of weight of the closure. Thus the closure is counterbalanced at its center of weight and because the guides in which the closure slides are relatively free, the closure substantially floats in its guides and is freely movable therein.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 6, in its down position the closure is stopped, as indicated at I26, by engaging a portion of the track 52 which is turned downward to form the tongues 5| which are removably lodged in the slots formed by the brackets 49. Upward movement of the closure is arrested by engagement of the angle brackets I2I on the side panels of the closure with the downturned portions 59 of the top dome, as shown most clearly at I2'I of Fig. 4. The door may also be stopped if desired by providing a cushion bumper for the counterweight.

It will now be apparent that I have provided a commercial dishwashing machine suitable for use in eating establishments which is more convenient for the operator to use, as merely by lifting on the handle located on the front panel of the closure, the interior of the washing and rinsing space is accessible from three sides. This avoids the necessity of lifting the doors of the prior art machines whil the operator stands in an awkward position and enables convenient access to the parts of the machine which must be kept clean and access to the scrap trays for removal and cleaning. The three panel door of my invention has uses in connection with other machines such, for example, as degreasing machines for machined parts.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be apparent that various changes may be made therein particularly in the form and relation of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a dishwashing machine wherein a frame is provided for supporting dishwashing mechanism and wherein a washing and rinsing space is provided above the frame, the combination of a stationary wall closing said washing and rinsing space at the top, means extending from the said frame for supporting said top wall in spaced relation to the frame, said washing and rinsing space being substantially open on at least three sides, a onepiece closure unitarily formed of a metal sheet, said closure enclosing said space on at least three sides, means between the frame and said top wall for guiding said closure as it is moved with respect to said frame and top wall to and from a closed position, and a counterweight operative in cooperation with said closure, said counterweight supported by an intermediate portion of a continuous line guided by a pulley system, the loose ends of said line being anchored to the parallel sides of said closure, said closure being freely movable in the guide and support means.

2. In a dishwashing machine wherein a frame is provided for supporting dishwashing mechanism and wherein a washing and rinsing space is provided above the frame, the combination of a stationary wall closing said washing and rinsing space at the top, said space being open on at least three sides to enable access to the washing and rinsing space and the dishwashing mechanism from at least three sides, a movable one-piece closure having at least three sides two of which extend at right angles to a third side for closing the open sides of said space during washing and rinsing operations, guide means comprising inner guid members extending between said frame and.v

said top wall and outer guide members attached to said frame only and embracing the corners of the movable closure for guiding said closure as it is moved with respect to said frame and top wall to and from a closed position, and counterbalance means in cooperation with the parallel sides of said one-piece closure, said closure thereby being substantially free of binding with the support and guide means thereof during movement of the closure.

3. In a wishwashing machine wherein a frame is provided for supporting dishwashing mechanism and wherein a washing and rinsing space is provided above the frame, the combination of a stationary wall closing said washing and rinsing space at the top, said space being substantially open on at least three sides to enable ac cess to the washing and rinsing space and the dishwashing mechanism from at least three sides, a movable one-piece closure having at least three sides two of which extend at right angles to a third side for closing said open three sides of said space during washing and rinsing operations, guide members for said movable closure comprising inner members extending between and attached to said frame and said top wall and located within the corners between the sides of the movable closure and outer members attached to and extending upwardly from the frame and embracing the corners of the movable closure, counterbalance means in cooperation with the parallel sides of said one-piece closure, said closure thereby being substantially free of binding with the support and guide means thereof during movement of the closure, an apron extending around at least three sides of the machine substantially at the level of the lower edge of the closure when in its closed position, and spacer elements mounted between said frame and said guide means for forming a slot extending around at least three sides of the machine between said apron and the lower edge of the closure when in its closed position.

4. In a dishwashing machine wherein a frame is provided for supporting dishwashing mechanism and wherein a space is provided above the frame, the combination of a rear wall extending upward from the frame, a post extending upward from the frame at each front corner of the machine, a top wall supported by the rear wall and said front posts in spaced relation to the frame to provide a washing and rinsing space which is open on three sides, a substantially U-shaped closure, said U-shaped closure comprising three panels joined to form a one-piece closure, guides formed in connection with said posts for the reception of the base corners of the U, guides carried by said rear wall for the reception of the free edges of the U, said guides enabling the closure to be moved from a closed position in which the washing and rinsing space is closed on all sides to an open position enabling access t the washing and rinsing space and parts of the washing mechanism from three sides, guides extending along the rear wall from the frame to the top wall, a counterbalnace movable on said guides, a pulley carried by said counterbalance, pulleys carried by said top wall, and a continuous line guided by said pulleys and having its ends connected to the parallel sides of the U, said connection being forward of the center line of the sides of the movable closure.

5. In a dishwashing machine wherein a frame is provided for supporting dishwashing mechanism and wherein a space is provided above the frame, the combination of a stationary rear wall extending upward from the frame, a post extending upward from the frame at each front corner of the machine, a top wall supported by the rear wall and said front posts in spaced relation to the frame to provide a washing and rinsing space which is open on three sides, a movable substantially U-shaped closure enclosing said posts, a guide attached to the frame and extending upwardly along and embracing each corner of the movable closure and cooperating with said posts for the reception of the base corners of the U. guides carried by said rear wall for the reception of the free edges of the U, said guides enabling the closure to be moved from a closed position in which the washing and rinsing space is closed on all sides to an open position enabling access to the washing and rinsing space and parts of the washing mechanism from three sides, counterweight means operative with said closure, said counterweight supported with a single line, the ends of said line connected to the parallel sides of said closure, and spacer elements mounted between said frame and said posts for forming a slot extending around said frame inwardly of said frame on three sides thereof.

6. In a dishwashing machine wherein a frame is provided for supporting dishwashing mechanism and wherein a space is provided above the frame, the combination of a stationary rear wall extending upward from the frame, a post extending upward from the frame at each front corner of the machine, a top wall supported by the rear wall and said front posts in spaced relation to the frame to provide a washing and rinsing space which is open on three sides, a movable substantially U-shaped closure, each of said posts including an inner strip angular in cross section secured to the frame and to the top wall and a spaced outer strip angular in cross section attached only to the frame, the space between said strips accommodating the base corners of the U of the movable closure, 9, counterweight means operatively connected with the parallel sides of the closure, and U-shaped guides carried at the sides of said rear wall to accommodate the free edges of the U of the closure, the strips of the posts being spaced and the guides of the free edges of the U of the closure being spaced in such a manner that the closure may substantially float in said guides in cooperation with the counterbalance means when the closure is moved.

ARTHUR W. HAAS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 852,419 Cochrane May 7, 1907 1,495,473 Fitzgerald May 27, 1924 1,559,727 Merseles Nov. 3, 1925 1,628,818 Zademach May 17, 1927 2,104,938 Webb Jan. 11, 1938 

